STUDIO CITY—The children of Marc Palotay are bringing a wrongful death suit against Studio City Fitness Gym, where Palotay suffered a fatal heart attack.
Palotay, 65, worked out at the gym “three or four mornings a week to stay healthy,” family attorney Spencer Lucas told ABC 7. On March 20, during his morning workout, Palotay went into cardiac arrest, and did not receive defibrillation until emergency personnel arrived.
The lawsuit, brought by Palotay’s three children Michael, Lauren, and Rachel, alleges that the facility did not have an automatic external defibrillator (or AED) device present, nor were there personnel trained to use the device present.
According to the suit, “As a result of Studio City Fitness Gym’s negligent failure … Marc Palotay’s minor heart attack became fatal.”
If the claims are true, Studio City Fitness Gym would be in violation of the California Health and Safety Code, Section 104113, which requires that “every health studio … acquire, maintain, and train personnel in the use of, an automatic external defibrillator.”
